The Legend of Zelda: Legacy of Light
by FireyFeudalLord
Summary: Original AU. Over a century has passed since the Hero of Twilight destroyed the threat of the Evil King. As Hyrule faces constant turmoil from bitter uprisings, many begin to wonder if the Hero's spirit will ever return. Now, a new menace has taken Hyrule by storm and the kingdom's need for a savior grows greatly. Violence, minor suggestive themes.
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

* * *

"Dead before her time," he murmured. His voice resonated in the hollow chambers of the temple. There, he would lay her to rest; his dearest sister.

Devrim couldn't fathom how she her life had been taken from him so suddenly. The physicians were cryptic in their explanations as to how they thought she died. He was told that she had an underlying health condition no one, not even she, knew anything about. At one moment, she had been a strong, capable, young leader of a country. The next, she was lying on the floor of her bedroom in the dead of night, with no one to witness what had happened to her. She had told the handmaidens to rest for the evening, and that she wouldn't need them in her chambers at night. The physicians found no trace of poisoning or foul play, however, Devrim didn't believe it.

He didn't want to believe it.

Queen Zelda was only twenty-six years old. Young. Beautiful. He stared down at her body resting in the open coffin next to him. Her face was pale and lifeless, yet it seemed as if she was merely sleeping. Her gloved hands rested tenderly on her chest, over the purple and golden dress she had always only worn for special diplomatic occasions. She would wear it forever, even in the Sacred Realm. On her head rested a golden crown decorated with fine jewels, each worth enough to buy out the land of every lord in the kingdom. Her brunette hair was loosely draped beside her, brushed, and wavy, with flowers decorating either side of her.

He remembered her bright blue eyes. They were full of life and ambition, just as her personality was. She was stubborn, hardheaded, and somehow always knew the right answer. She was also brave, loyal, kind, and most of all, the wisest person in all of Hyrule. She had single handedly led a kingdom to victory after years of battle, false heroes, and revolt. The queen was the most capable leader of her time, loved by all. Ever since she was a young girl of sixteen, she showed promise of a great ruler. After their father's death only five years before, she had been bestowed the Triforce of Wisdom by the gods. Devrim didn't know where it was, at this point. He assumed it would rest with her body unless someone took it. He didn't want it, anyway. He never would feel worthy enough to possess such a gift. He didn't think anyone would be more worthy than his sister.

He didn't want to believe she was dead. She was the only family he had left. His mother had been killed by an illness during his childhood, and his father had been assassinated by Gerudo rebels when he was eighteen. He loved his father, however, his rule had been a difficult one. He often would project his ever growing stress through excessive drinking and frequent visits to brothels. Many mistook his substance abuse for negligence and apathy, which didn't soothe situations regarding the frequent revolts and instability throughout Hyrule. However, he was a kind man who loved his two children very much, when he was sober. Devrim wondered if Hyrule would have seen that, too, if not for the political problems he had to deal with constantly. He promised himself he would not let his feelings get the better of him, as his father did. He promised himself that he would not bring shame to his family, as the only heir to the assume the throne after Zelda's passing.

And most of all, he promised himself he would not let the kingdom fall into evil hands ever again. A Chosen Hero had not been seen for over a century, and now it was the Royal Family's sole duty to be Hyrule's protectors. Many had claimed the title of Hero, however, none were proven worthy. Fake hero after fake hero would be killed or flee from battle, with little to no effect on the progress of the kingdom as a whole. It seemed as if the Hero's spirit had finally come to rest in the Sacred Realm, with the whereabouts of the Triforce of Courage unknown since the Hero of Twilight had defeated the Evil King Ganondorf. The rebirth of a true hero had never come after that era had passed, and it seemed as if Hyrule had only been left with the Royal Family to maintain order within the kingdom, and nothing more. However, in recent years, that order was breaking. Now that the queen had passed, it seemed as if the chaos and turmoil would return to Hyrule after the loss of their beloved queen.

She never married or had any heirs. Occasionally, she would take a lover or two, but she never committed in a relationship for long. Devrim never understood why. Her only heir was her younger brother, Devrim, though he did not want to ever have to assume the throne. Zelda could do it all on her own, without the assistance of a council or an advisor, although she gladly welcomed it because of her humble spirit.

Now, though, the responsibility of running a kingdom had to fall on Devrim alone. He didn't feel ready or comfortable with being in a position of power. He had always had that done for him. He was perfectly fine with having someone else making important decisions, as long as he trusted them.

"Your Majesty," He heard a quiet voice behind him at the entrance of the temple doors, "I don't mean to pry, but-" The man paused as Devrim turned to face him. It was one of the soldiers of the Royal Guard, now his to command. "The midwives tell me that your wife has gone into labor…"

 _That can't be,_ Devrim thought, _it's not time. It's too early._ His face immediately grew pale with fear. He knew the devastating consequences of premature births and didn't want for his first and only child to be born unhealthy… or stillborn.

He rushed to his wife's chambers and slammed the door open, sweat pouring down his face as he shook with dread of what he might find inside. He saw at least a dozen handmaidens crowd the bed where he assumed his wife was. Some of them had blood stained all over the fronts of their clothes, which threw him into an even greater panic. Dreadfully pained sobbing could be heard from across the room, which he could recognize as his wife's voice.

" _Ambi_ ," He called out to her, pushing his way past the midwives as they braced her for the birth, "Ambi, I'm here. Can you hear me? I'm right here." He reached out for her hand and she grabbed it tight, struggling to keep awake while sobbing from the pain at the same time.

"Just breathe… You're going to be okay," Said one of the midwives dabbing Ambi's face with a damp cloth, "You and the baby both,"

Devrim prayed to the Goddesses with all his heart that she was right. He internally beat himself up for being absent as much as he was after his sister's death the night before. _I should have been with Ambi_ , he thought. _Din, please grant us strength..._

The midwives scrambled around her as they prepared for the delivery. "I think this is it," One of them said, "Now, Ambi, I need you to push with all of your might," She told another handmaiden to fetch water.

Ambi did so, and let out a terrible scream as she squeezed Devrim's hand so hard that he lost all feeling, cutting off blood circulation to his fingers. He didn't care. All he wanted was the survival of his wife and child. Ambi was losing even more blood and was in grave danger of losing consciousness, or worse.

After what felt like an eternity, Devrim could hear the smallest high-pitched cry pierce his ears like a dagger. He had never felt more relief in his life as he watched the tiny pink body covered with blood being lifted and handed over to his wife, who was barely conscious. With what little strength she had left, she cradled the child in her arms and cried with happiness. "Devrim…" She said breathlessly, "Devrim look… our little princess…"

He couldn't contain the widest, most relieved smile he had ever smiled when his eyes fell on the infant. What little hair she had was dark, almost black, and her skin was dark as well, like her mother's. In the past, Devrim had never been fond of newborns. He always felt that they were loud, needy, and ugly little bags of flesh. Now, however, he felt different. While this child screamed like most other babies, his heart melted at the sight of his little one. He loved her from the moment she was born. He kissed Ambi on the forehead as he wrapped his arms around her, wanting this moment to last forever.

After a moment, Ambi snapped her husband out of his bliss with a question she had been contemplating since the first knowledge of her pregnancy, "What will her name be?"

Devrim looked at her, surprised that she hadn't come up with a name of her own to suggest already. They hadn't talked about it much before, for that matter. He looked at his child and stroked her tiny hand, "She has already shown herself to be strong and resilient," He said with a smile, "...and stubborn, so much so that she couldn't wait another few weeks."

Ambi knew what he was thinking and smiled, with tears welling up in her eyes.

"Her name is Zelda," He said, finally. "Princess Zelda of Hyrule."

* * *

 _ **Author's Notes**_

Hello readers! I hope I'm formatting this correctly... has changed so much since I last used it.

Anyways, here is the first installment of what will be my main, ongoing project on this site. I've actually been working on this AU for a long, long time. I first thought it up while I was doodling character designs on my trip to Kauai four years ago. It's changed a LOT since then. Heck, you can even find the first draft of the first few chapters on my old account... I'm kind of embarrassed to tell you all what it is though. Maybe later. But, like I said, so much has changed that it's almost a completely different story from what it started out as... and I think that's a good thing.

As for where this falls on the Zelda timeline, it's been a little over a century since the events Twilight Princess, so it's on the tail end of the child timeline. Obviously, none of this is canon.

Anyways, I hope you're ready to get started on an amazing journey with me. Updates will try to stay regular, depending on my work load with school. I am a college student, after all. Writing this is simply a hobby.


	2. A Late Start

_Void. Endless void. He stood there, filled with confusion. He reached out one hand, looking for something to grab onto._

 _It burned._

 _He flinched and clutched his hand with the other, attempting to soothe the pain. It did little to help. His hand continued to burn mercilessly._

 _He wanted to get out of this place, yet everywhere he looked, he was lost and alone. He walked forward. There was nothing._

 _Nothing._

 _Nothing._

 _Nothing?_

 _His ears picked up the sound of feet, walking behind him, as if he was being followed. The feet were soft and clawed, it sounded… and there were more than two. As the footsteps drew closer, he heard heavy breathing accompanying them. He finally stopped to look over his shoulder to find out what had been following him, in fear of what he might find._

 _The first thing that caught his eye was a pair of intense bright blue eyes staring back at him._

 _The beast that had been stalking him was a fearless wolf. He took it for a demon, as it did not bear a usual silver, brown, or white coat of a common wolf… The beast he saw before him was large and had a coat of many unnatural shades of dark green, brown, and a cream underbelly. Its left-front leg had a broken shackle that hugged its fur tightly. Its ears were pierced with sapphire earrings, and its eyes… they glew with a ferocious intensity that bore into his soul._

 _A demon, he thought, it must be a terrible omen…_

 _The creature bared its long glistening fangs. He could feel the thirst it had for blood. His blood. It let out a terrible snarl and lunged for him, knocking him over. The beast pinned him down on the dark ground as it snarled angrily into his face, standing over him and freezing him with terror._

" _Come back," It growled, "Come back to us."_

 _He didn't know how to respond. He tried to speak, opening his mouth, yet no words could escape his lips. He wanted to scream._

" _COME BACK," The beast repeated, growing louder and more impatient, "COME BACK,"_

 _A sudden wave of sadness and grief overwhelmed him while he lay on the ground, and tears flowed down his face uncontrollably. He wanted to get out. He couldn't rationalize his sadness. He had to get out of the void. Maybe that would stop it._

 _His eyes shut tightly and he saw and felt no more. The beast's voice grew more and more distant with each repetition of its words:_

" _Come back…"_

* * *

Link awoke to the ear-piercing screech of the cuckoos outside his window, with his eyes shooting open and nearly falling out of the bed. He took a moment to regain his senses, make sure everything was as it should be, and reassure himself that it was only a dream.

Only a dream…

He slowly sat upright and ran his hand down his face, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. He was soaked in sweat and his heart beat quickly. He recalled that he had been having those types of nightmares more and more often, making his sleep restless and always leaving him especially exhausted the next day. Staring at his hands, he noticed they were trembling quite violently.

Link let out a heavy sigh and reminded himself again, "It was only a dream."

He sat there for a moment, contemplating what the recurring nightmares could mean, if anything at all. They were so vivid, so _real_. He wanted to wrap his head around the meanings behind it all, yet he came up with no definitive answer. He was stumped. They grew more and more cryptic each time and would often be the causes of him oversleeping every day.

Oversleeping. _Oh_ - _oh no_.

He bolted from the bed, throwing the sheets to the ground as he changed out of his sleeping clothes as quickly as possible, stumbling and knocking things over in the process. He muttered curses under his breath. He grabbed a wadded up, off-white undershirt that he had thrown on the floor after wearing the day before, a pair of umber-colored trousers, and a dark brown vest and threw them on in a flash. They were all wrinkled and had been worn before, as he hadn't had the chance to wash them. He didn't care, at this point. They were the first thing he saw to put on and make himself look decent enough to interact with other human beings.

Link made his way upstairs while hopping on one foot, slipping his brown leather boots onto his feet. He lived in the basement of his employer's estate, near the kitchen where he worked as a cook, being paid in ruppees and a safe living space. He scrambled around the kitchen, rummaging around through the pots and pans to grab a mixing bowl, ingredients, and baking supplies to get the task he was supposed to be doing two hours ago done. He had promised a woman in their village to make lemon cakes for her as a way to earn a few extra ruppees. She was very specific about wanting the cake delivered in the morning because she was planning on leaving for Castle Town to sell vegetables she had grown herself. Link hoped with all of his heart that she had not left yet, as he very much hated to disappoint. People often told him that he was too much of a people-pleaser, but he didn't mind at all. He always loved to make the ones he cared about happy in any way he could. Oftentimes, he wasn't mindful of his own well-being and would neglect simple self-care duties. In this particular situation, he sacrificed clean laundry.

Link was halfway through mixing the batch of cake batter when Karane, the woman who owned the estate and was kind enough to let him live in her basement, stepped into the kitchen. "You sure are up early," She joked, a playful, smug grin plastered across her face. Link didn't enjoy the joke as much as she did and shot her an irritated look. He wasn't in the mood to be made fun of. "Oh, lighten up," She said, patting his shoulder, "You shouldn't worry about this. Mrs. Luv hasn't left for Castle Town yet. I can let her know you're running a bit late if you need me to."

He sighed and continued his work, "Thanks, I'd really appreciate that."

The tall, red-headed woman gave him a reassuring smile that spread across her pale, freckled face. "No problem," She replied, "I can tell that this isn't the only thing that's been bothering you, though." She started, "You haven't been sleeping well."

"I…" He didn't know how to explain it. He had told her before that he kept having extremely strange and realistic dreams that left him exhausted in the mornings, but he couldn't shake the feeling that they were something more than just dreams. It _was_ bothering him. The images he would see were sometimes horrifying, but he felt petty for being afraid of simple dreams, because they weren't real, no matter how real they felt.

 _They weren't real._

"I don't know. It's nothing, really." He lied.

Karane was silent for a moment, then gained the courage to ask what she had on her mind. She felt like what she was about to say would upset him or cause bad memories to resurface. "Link, do you think these nightmares could have something to do with… you know, your mother?"

He could almost physically feel the anxiety hit his chest like a brick, "Actually," He began, "I've been doing just fine, recently, moving on and such until you brought it up just now."

"Link, you know it's unhealthy to suppress trauma. I only bring it up because this isn't the first time you've had a… breakdown, of sorts."

"I'm not having a breakdown."

"I just want to make sure you're okay,"

Link sighed, bothered by the fact that she had to make it about _that_ , yet understanding her intentions behind it. He had managed to end the chapter in his life where he worried about his past and was starting to be a fully functional individual in a village where no one would wish him harm. In Kakariko, he was safe. His past no longer haunted him one bit. The nightmares that had been plaguing him more recently had nothing to do with his past, he felt. They were a new development and completely different from anything he had seen in his dreams before.

"Look, Karane," He turned to her, "It's not about that, I promise. These dreams have nothing to do with it, which is why I'm bothered by it so much. I don't understand why they keep happening."

She looked into his bright blue eyes, knowing that there was something he wasn't telling her, but then sighed as she silently told herself that she would need to have patience with him. He didn't open up easily and she would have to wait for him to bring things up rather than try to get answers out of him herself. "Alright," She said, "I shouldn't keep you any longer. I'll go and tell Mrs. Luv you'll be late."  
"Thank you," Link said, preparing to put the finished batter into the oven. "I won't be long."

After the door shut behind Karane, Link took a moment to calm his nerves for the first time since he had woken up, now that the cake was comfortably sitting in the stone oven's flames.

After a short amount of time, Link donned a pair of oven mitts and pulled the lovely golden cake from the oven, poking it all the way through with a fork. When he pulled it out, there was no wet batter stuck to it, indicating that it had cooked all the way through. The cake was still hot, yet Link wasted absolutely no time to let it cool in order to deliver it to Mrs. Luv as he should have done hours before. He hurried across the small village of Kakariko, feeling the warm, dry breeze that blew off of Death Mountain in the midmorning. The town had been abandoned and desolate in the past, but in recent years, due to its fame from being a known sanctuary to the Hero of Twilight, many people had resettled and began building a new life for the town. The soil was even capable of growing valuable crops again, and many people often traded goods with the intimidating but kindly Gorons who resided in the neighboring mountain, mining precious stones of all kinds. Link had grown close to the residents of Kakariko, as it didn't house many people. Travelers would often visit to take a rest stop on their journeys to Death Mountain or Hyrule Field, which made the inn a popular place for travelers and residents alike. In Kakariko, Link truly felt happy and safe for the first time in his short fourteen years of life.

When he finally found Mrs. Luv, she was almost finished loading her wagon with the current season's harvest of crops. A warm smile ran across her dark and freckled face as she saw him approaching, handing her the cake, which was wrapped in a small cloth to keep from getting stale.

"My deepest apologies, ma'am," Link said, attempting to hide his breathlessness as he had just run across the entire town to catch her before she left, "I had no intention of sleeping in this morning."

"Don't worry about it, child," She chuckled, handing him a small sack of ruppees as payment, "Karane told me you would be a little late, and I understand completely. Work gets tiring."

 _But you don't really understand_ , he wanted to tell her. "I guess so," He shrugged, thanking her for the ruppees and wishing her a safe journey to Castle Town.

As he watched her leave, he could feel an unexplainable wave of sadness wash over him. He grabbed his left hand with his right, and for only a moment, he thought he could feel the same burning sensation on it that he had felt in his dream the night before. He could hear the mountain's wind howling behind him as it ruffled his ash blond hair, whispering almost inaudibly:

 _Come back to us._

* * *

 **Author's Notes**

There he is, our favorite little hero.

At some point, I'm probably going to go back and edit this chapter to fill it in with more body and narrative.

Reviewers are always welcome to give suggestions regarding grammar, style, and things to add in to strengthen the story's descriptions as a whole. That's what reviewing is for!


	3. Six Years Earlier

_**Six years earlier**_

* * *

Link was only eight years old. He was dirty, dressed in rags that were too big for him and almost swallowed his tiny, underweight figure whole. It was obvious he hadn't been bathed in a long, long time, as his ash blond hair hung on his head with oil and dirt, and his face was pale, save for a few places where dirt and bruises were scattered. He lived in a tiny shack in the slums of Castle Town, where all of the poorest families and homeless people resided. It only consisted of two rooms separated by only a curtain; one room for him to sleep on the floor, with only a pillow and a mat made of worn out bamboo, and the other with a large, dirty and uncomfortable mattress for his mother, whom he lived with. She would often tell him to leave the house and fend for himself so she could "work", whatever that was, and if he didn't, she would go on a furious frenzy, which he did his best to avoid at all costs. He knew how important it was to pay for food and basic necessities, anyways, so he would not argue with her, no matter what questionable choices she was making during her "work" were. On this day in particular, however, facing her wrath was inevitable.

"You were supposed to get apples," She spat, her speech slurred and ragged, but did not conceal her fury, "Where are they?"

"I told you, the man who sells them sold them all." He whimpered, backed into a corner by his mother in the tiny hut. "I can get something else…"

"You don't understand, you foolish whelp!" She screamed, sharply slapping him across the face, "We cannot afford anything but bread and apples!" Her breath reeked with the stench of alcohol. Link knew she had been drinking again, and realized the only thing he could possibly do to calm the storm was to apologize profusely and repeatedly with the faint hope that she would give him a second chance.

Her tired, dull, grey eyes stared long and hard at him, contemplating for a moment until she put a firm hand on his small shoulder and pulled him out the door, almost dragging him in the process. She was a small and skinny woman, but she still bore an immense amount of strength because of her youth. She had given birth to him when she was only sixteen years old as a result of her "work", as she told him. Whenever he asked her who his father was, she would only wave him away, saying things along the lines of "Who cares?" or "Hell if I know". She always told Link that he was her biggest mistake, and he believed it.

She released her tight grip on him and sent him on his way, completely unsupervised in the crowded, filthy slums of Castle Town. He sighed, wiping the tears from his eyes as he had tried so hard to keep them from falling. He didn't want his mother to see him cry; that would have only added to her rage.

After a few short moments of bottling up his emotions, the small blond boy set out for the southern market in hopes of finding something to fulfill his mother's specific requests. The market was a much cleaner, but no less crowded place than the slums in which he lived. Weaving in between the crowds of people, he was almost invisible and barely noticed by all of the wealthier adults who were several heads taller than him. To them, poor and homeless children weren't worth their time or attention as they lived their lives as feral beasts, feeding themselves alongside the dogs and pigs. Though he was only eight years old, Link realized the fact that the people who visited the market didn't have enough empathy to interact with someone like him. He accepted the obvious classism without question, as he only knew it as their way of life, ignoring the obvious problems around them. That's just what the wealthier people of Hyrule did.

Everywhere he looked, he saw overpriced products and outrageously long lines for the things he could afford with the small bag of ruppees he clutched in his hand. He grew frustrated at the lack of options he had, not willing to head home until he had something to bring his already upset mother. He didn't want her to resort to hitting him-again. Corporal punishment wasn't a rare occurrence for her, but Link did his best to avoid it at all costs, even if it meant that he would go a day without eating or having a roof over his head.

His eyes wandered to the large and grand castle in the distance, not too far from the southern market in Castle Town. He knew of a king and a queen and their daughter, the princess, who resided there, yet he had never seen them with his own eyes. He figured that they were most likely similar to the wealthy Hylians and did not want to acknowledge the poorer citizens like himself. He found it kind of sad that even the Royal Family ignored the poor, but he didn't dwell on it as he noticed that the sky began to turn red with the setting sun. He knew he had to find something to please his mother quickly before the fruit merchants closed their shops for the day.

It was in that moment when Link could feel the bag of ruppees being snatched out of his hand.

He wheeled around, attempting to track down the ruppee thief and take back the precious gemstones; his mental and physical well being depended on it. As panic began to set in, he caught a glance of the snatcher-it was a child, who looked around his age, as dirty as he, with unruly hair and crooked teeth. The child turned to look back at Link before he disappeared around the corner of a building made of cobblestone, heading toward a dark alleyway for a quick escape. Link knew from experience the importance of any small amount of money to the poor, especially the children. He would have gladly helped the child find food or lend him a few ruppees, but he could not afford to lose what little money he had. Not now.

Link followed the thief in a hot pursuit, desperate to get his belongings back. He tried his best to avoid conflict at all times, especially because he had enough conflict at home, and only wanted to catch the child to talk him out of stealing his ruppees.

When he turned the corner and reached the narrow alley, he found himself staring up at a much larger and taller boy, presumably older than him, too. Standing behind him was the one who stole Link's ruppees, using the larger boy as a shield by standing behind him. The ruppee thief lifted a finger and pointed at Link, "That's the one. He tried to steal my money!" His high pitched voice cracked.

Link was taken aback by such an outrageous and obviously incorrect accusation; he merely stood there and shook his head in denial, "N-no, no I didn't…" He stammered, "Those are mine. Give them back. I need them!"

He took a step forward in a futile attempt to retrieve his lost currency, but the larger boy took it as an invitation to lift the boy up by the front of his shirt and slam him down on the dirt-filled ground. Air was forcefully pushed out of his lungs by the impact, and the shock of it left him temporarily immobilized and stunned with fear.

"Please…" he whispered, snapping himself out of his moment of weakness and standing up again in a last attempt to negotiate with the boy.

"You mess with my brother, you mess with me," The larger boy said, spitting in Link's face. He flinched, but did not falter in his place, staring daggers up at the boy with his large blue eyes. "Get out of here, worm. Or I'll punch your teeth out." The boy said.

"I need my ruppees."

"They ain't yours!" The boy shouted, pulling his sleeves back in preparation for brutalizing the small blond boy, "Find someone more gullible to steal from." He said as he pinned Link against the cold, damp stone wall of the alleyway, proceeding to punch him in the eye, throwing him to the ground once more.

The impact of his harsh fist left Link's eye bruised and swollen. He cried out in pain, not being able to open his eye as he held his hand up to his face. The larger boy stood towering over him with a haughty smirk plastered across his filthy face, proceeding to kick him several times in the stomach as he lay on the ground.

Link tried to plead with him to stop, but it was futile. With each kick, the air in his lungs would quickly escape, leaving him little time to say even one word.

All he could think of was that he wanted it to _stop_ , but he was helpless.

The ordeal lasted only a few minutes, but to Link, it felt like years. He eventually was able to curl into a defensive ball, which prevented any further damage to his midsection. After the bully was done entertaining himself with causing the boy pain, he spat on the ground next to him and walked away, with his little brother close behind, clutching the stolen ruppees in his hands.

"Weakling," Link could hear the smaller boy mutter from a distance away, walking out of eyeshot, presumably to go home, "That kid will never survive the world like us."

From his place on the ground, he secretly agreed with them, resigning himself to someone of no value to the world whatsoever, not even to his own mother.

A few moments passed before Link could find the will to stir from his defensive position. It had become dark, and the sun had set, with only the distant street lanterns illuminating the streets and dank alleys. The entire market had been closed for the day, with no one manning the shops for him to get the apples he originally set out to buy. He could only imagine his mother's fury that would be unleashed upon his arrival…

' _You worthless leech! You wandered off and got yourself beaten up, didn't you? You only do these things to spite me!_ '

Her hypothetical yet familiar words rang in his ears as he sat up, severely disappointed in himself. _How could I be so stupid? Why didn't I fight back?_

He already knew the answer. Everyone knew. The boys who stole his money said it in the most perfect words. He was a weakling, someone who could never survive on his own even for a second. He needed someone to depend on, but he had no one.

 _Pathetic_ , he told himself. It was another word he had often heard his mother describe him as.

He sat in the alley for a good long while, contemplating whether or not it was really worth it to go home empty-handed, only to receive another harsh punishment for something that wasn't his fault or anything he had control over. He seriously considered just shrivelling away in the alley, not continuing to exist. After all, no one would miss him.

No one would care if he just suddenly died, or never returned.

He was quickly snapped out of his self-destructive thoughts when he could hear a woman's gentle and calming voice behind him, yet still startling as he hadn't expected anyone was nearby, "Excuse me," she said as he turned to make eye contact with his one unhurt eye. The woman had dark auburn hair, pulled back into a short ponytail, and a freckled face. She was slightly taken aback as she caught sight of the child's swollen black eye and bruised face.

"Sorry if I scared you," She continued, "but I couldn't help noticing that you were all alone in this alley. It's not safe to wander the streets after sundown, child."

For a moment, he made no reply. He simply stared at her, unable to trust a stranger, especially an adult.

"Do you live with your parents? At least let me escort you back to them-where you will be safe."

 _Safe…_ He almost laughed at the thought he would be anywhere near safe with his mother. He realized now that he had no hope in ever living a remotely happy life with her. Even outside of his own home, he wasn't safe. He was constantly in danger of being robbed, beaten, kidnapped, or killed, all because he was given too much responsibility with little help from his only caretaker, if she even qualified as one.

After not getting a response from him, the woman spoke again, "Child, are you okay?" She asked.

He made eye contact with her again, realizing that he was not, in fact, okay. Actually, he felt awful, both physically and emotionally. His mother always told him that boys don't cry, and that he, as a boy, should never cry, but he couldn't hold back the tears that began continuously flowing from his eyes while sobbing uncontrollably. This time, he disobeyed her.

"Oh, no, no, no…" The woman said as she wrapped his arms around the wailing child, realizing that something about his home life was terribly wrong and needed to be addressed. He made no protest to the stranger, as he had needed this type of affection for a very, very long time, and never received it. "I didn't mean to upset you," she said, hugging him tighter. She reassured him that everything was going to be okay, and tried to calm him to the point to which he was able to speak with her and explain why he was upset at the prospect of going home. For a long while however, she let him cry it all out.

After attempting to compose himself, he finally gained enough control in order to speak, "I… I'm sorry…" He managed to say. The woman shook her said, pulling herself out of the embrace to make eye contact, "There is nothing to be sorry for, honey." She said with a reassuring smile, "Now, tell me why what I said upset you so much. And what happened to you?" She gestured at his bruises, namely his eye that was swollen shut.

He paused, trying as hard as he could to not begin crying again. After a few deep breaths, he said, "I… my mother… sh-she…" _Sniff_. "She h-hates me. She told me th-that if I didn't… bring back the food she wanted… she would hurt me. She always hurts me… and yells at me… She tells me I'm worthless and stupid, and it's t-true."

He then continued to tell her how he had gotten his ruppees stolen, and the events that followed and led to his beating.

The woman was shocked, not knowing how to respond. After a moment, she asked him, "And your father? Where is he?"

"I d-don't know him…"

After another moment of contemplation, the woman knew what had to be done. This boy severely needed help, and her heart was soft for him. She felt some sort of responsibility toward him that she couldn't explain. She asked him what his name was, and he quietly answered, "Link." She gave him another big smile and told him her name was Karane.

"Well, Link, will you take me to your mother? I'd like to have a few words with her. I know what to do that will help you. Just trust me."

He could feel the fear begin to twist in his stomach again at the thought of going back to _her_ , but as much as he didn't know this woman's intentions, he _did_ trust her. Or, at the very least, he wanted to with all his heart. However, he didn't know what she would do to change his mother's heart, regardless of her good intentions.

He finally nodded in compliance and took her hand, walking some few blocks away from the alley and back to the grimy slums from whence he came. He directed her to the shack that he resided in with his mother, and she gave him a reassuring nod before knocking on the door. It took a few moments before Link's mother answered without any sort of decorum.

"What do you want?" She asked, bluntly, "Are you wanting to be a client? It's not every day that woman come to my door, but," she raised her eyebrows, "I'm not picky."

"Actually, I'm here to talk to you about your son, Link." Karane said, gesturing to the small figure beside her. Link's mother didn't even notice he was there at first, but when she did, she promptly grew irate, ready to chastise him for whatever got him that huge black eye. "What did he do?" She looked at him, the anger in her eyes growing by the second, "Did you get yourself into trouble again? I told you not to piss people off!"

"He did no such thing," Karane intervened, protectively stepping between the boy and his abusive mother. "Someone wrongfully robbed and assaulted him. He did nothing wrong."

"Then why are you here? You want me to pay you for saving him or something?"

"No, but I do want to take the boy off of your hands."

Link's mother stared at her with what seemed to be a harsh desire to do Karane harm because of what she just said, "And why would you want me to give you my only child?"

"When I found this boy, he was completely unsupervised and helpless. You sent an eight-year-old to the market, completely alone, and with no way to defend himself. Clearly, you do not have the time or resources to care for a child. I only want to alleviate the burden of supporting a child for you."

"And you think you could do a better job at being _that thing's_ mother? After all the stress he gives me?"

Her words stabbed at his heart like a dagger, to the point at which he began to let tears run down his cheeks once more. His mother rolled her eyes, "See? He can't do anything himself… I try to teach him things, but he never listens. He doesn't even listen to me when I tell him not to cry!"

"That is a natural response to emotion. He can't bottle his feelings up forever." Karane tried to reason with her, but she paid her no mind.

"Please, let me take him. I have the funds to feed and clothe him, and he clearly puts stress on your budget." She said, "I know it's not only in his best interest, but in yours as well."

His mother hesitated for a while, not wanting to admit that she was failing to raise a single child, but suddenly realized how much it would help her financial situation if she didn't have another mouth to feed other than her own.

"Fine," she said, "just take him."

After she closed the door, Karane bent down to get on eye-level with the teary-eyed boy. He didn't want to believe that his own mother would give him up so easily, but he knew that she truly never cared about him at all.

"Link," Karane said, "I want you to know that you don't ever have to speak with her again. She isn't deserving of someone as kind and as caring as you." She took his hand and looked at his one open blue eye with the most sincerest of smiles, "Will you live in my home in Kakariko with me? I have a spare bedroom in my basement and lots of food you won't ever have to pay for by yourself. I have always wanted a child of my own, but I have never married. I think you would like it in Kakariko Village."

Link nodded enthusiastically. He never knew the comfort of having his own bed or clothes. He had never truly felt the sensation of being bathed and free of dirt. He was almost dumbfounded at the idea of never having to live in the slums ever again. He was finally free of the witch that his mother was… however, he couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt for abandoning her. He quickly threw that thought aside as he realized that she was the one who had abandoned him from the beginning, never stepping up to be the nurturer he needed when circumstances got tough.

They arrived to Karane's wagon, which was drawn by a large bay horse that Link did not hesitate to befriend the minute he laid his eyes upon it.

"His name is Callus," She said, stroking his mane, "My dad gave him to me before he died."

"Callus?" Link repeated, somewhat amused by such an unconventional name for a horse.

Karane laughed, "I was fourteen when I got him, so I didn't put much thought into it. But the name stuck."

She soon helped him climb into the front of the wagon and seated next to him, flicking the reins to motion the horse to move forward. As they exited Castle Town, the moon was high above their heads and the stars shone bright, illuminating the vast Hyrule Field that lay before them.

"You will love it in Kakariko," She said once more, "it's a small country village close to Death Mountain, where people of all races come to trade goods and open their businesses. It really is a lovely community. I inherited a mansion there that my father once owned before he died a few years ago."

As the hours went on, she continued to tell him stories about the town that he would soon call home. He knew he could trust this woman, but was slightly afraid of meeting his new neighbors. However, he would soon come to find out that change wasn't so bad after all, and that his spirit was not broken beyond repair.

Maybe, he thought, he could give his new life a chance.

* * *

 **Author's Notes**

Hey, sorry about the wait. It's been a hectic week, as I have been busy moving and school is about to start. Updates might get a little slower from here on out until the end of the semester.

First off, I just want to put it out there that this chapter was especially difficult to write, not only because of its sensitive content, but also because it hits a little close to home. I have three very close friends who come from very similar situations as our protagonist does in this story, and I wanted to have a character to represent the kids who never had a good and loving relationship with their parents. This is a nod to you guys who have had upbringings similar to this. You are strong and I love you without end.

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Reviews are always welcome!

P.S., I hope some of you notice the reference to another beloved video game I put in there. Anyone who gets it gets an internet cookie!


	4. The Promise

_**The Promise**_

* * *

Impa's hands were trembling as she lifted her spoon in order to feed herself the porridge that was made for her by her grandmother. Her nerves had gotten to her; it was the morning of her first day at her first job that she had been training for months for.

"Come now, eat. You will need all the energy you can get on your first day." Her grandmother said, sitting across from her at the kitchen table reading the daily Hyrule Post.

"I-I know. It's just…" Impa sighed, reminding herself that she needed to breathe. "Do you really think I'm ready? What if I'm a disappointment? What if I mess up and they hate me?"

"They will not hate you." The older woman said sternly, "The Sheikah Tribe has been serving the Royal Family for hundreds of years. I promise you will not be a disappointment."

"Grandma, I'm fifteen. I don't feel… ready."

"Your mother was eighteen when she attended the queen of her time. Now you must take the responsibility of our people as she did."

Impa sighed, clearly uncomfortable with the fact that she, still a young teenager, was being assigned the task of being an attendant and personal body guard of the princess Zelda. "I don't think I'm as qualified as she was."

"I think it's a bit insulting to say that you're not qualified when I am the one who has been training you," Her grandmother stated flatly, "You are ready. I would know if you weren't."

Impa didn't bother to argue, but still had doubts about her abilities. Sure, she had been trained in the art of traditional Sheikah combat for years, but she had yet to apply her skills in the real world when there was real danger.

She had the skills, yes, but wasn't fully confident in that alone. She also worried about her ability to get along with the Royal Family; she wasn't a very conversational type of person and often got anxious in social situations.

Because she had to work personally for the princess, she was nervous about the possibility of not being able to get along with her. She had no idea what type of person the princess was as she had never been introduced beforehand.

The princess did not make many public appearances either, as she was only fourteen and her father did not want her to be subjected to a life of fame and publicity from an early age.

Impa's grandmother got up from her seat and walked over behind her grandchild and began to pull her silvery-white hair back into a tight bun.

"I'm sorry…" Impa said, "I just feel so uncertain about my abilities."

"Don't be," Her grandmother told her, "You must have faith in yourself."

Impa slowly breathed inward, attempting to relieve herself of her anxieties. _Remember to breathe_ , she told herself, _remember who you are_. _You are the chosen protector of Hylia's descendants_.

Her grandmother gave her a reassuring pat on the shoulder, "You can do this," She said, "now, go get ready. We leave for the castle in an hour."

"Yes ma'am."

Impa quickly finished the bowl of porridge and began to gather her things to put in a travel sack; she was going to be staying at the castle from now on. Being the princess' personal guard and caretaker also meant that she would have to be around her day and night. She couldn't imagine having a constant companion, which was mostly why she was so nervous about being able to get along with the princess. They were around the same age, with only a year in between them, so Impa hoped that would be enough of a similarity to be able to live with each other.

She tried to stay positive whenever the thought of the princess came to her mind. She had already been told of her beauty by those who had had the chance to meet her in person and hoped that the rumors were true, even though she wouldn't have minded if the princess had not been conventionally beautiful either.

Looks didn't matter to Impa when meeting new people, but, then again, Impa did come to find that she very much appreciated pretty girls. She inwardly laughed at the thought of the princess Zelda seeing girls the same way she did. The thought of it was ridiculous. After all, royals had to continue their bloodline.

She very much tried as best as she could to see the good in every person she met, just like her grandmother told her to do. But she couldn't help but to think about the worst possible outcomes of each social situation she was put in, which was a real issue for her.

Her mother was taken by a deadly epidemic when she was young, leaving her to live in the care of her grandmother for most of her life. Such a great loss at a young age had deeply affected her ability to communicate and relate with other people who weren't extremely close to her, because she closed herself off from society for so long after her mother's death from being overtaken by grief.

However, at the age of fifteen, she felt she had gotten over that part of her life for the most part. She still had many hurdles to jump, but she had been working with her grandmother to be able to interact with people normally. Her grandmother personally felt that being the around the princess so often would help her overcome many of the social anxieties she had, and Impa desperately hoped she would be right.

After an hour of making sure she had everything she needed, she and her grandmother set out for the castle on foot. They didn't live very far away, as they resided in the outskirts of Castle Town on the western side. It was about an hour's walk to the front gates of the castle, where their bags were checked for any dangerous or suspicious items they had with them-not that there was any suspicion of the two Sheikah in the first place. The protocol was merely for extra precaution.

Impa did have a few weapons with her, such as throwing knives, a bow, and a sheathed katana, which she prized dearly. She kept her weapons in their own separate sack, their only purpose being to defend the princess with.

The guards offered to carry her bags while they led her to her new room, which was high in the towers of the castle, close to Zelda's, she assumed. The stairways twisted in the cobblestone tower, reaching incredible heights that Impa had only seen from the cliffs of Death Mountain. The castle was grand and had many confusing and continuing corridors that never seemed to end. She was excited to be able to explore every single room, if she had the time or access to them, that was.

When they reached the top of the tower, Impa was surprised to find that her room was connected to the Zelda's, with only one door separating them. She was amazed at the fact that the Royal Family was able to trust her with their eldest child so easily. She presumed it was probably due to the fact that she was a Sheikah and had come from a long bloodline of people who had served the Royal Family before.

When she had gotten all of her things in order in her room, she had to make her way to the throne room to have an audience with the king and his family, which was, she guessed, an interview of sorts.

She could feel a knot in her stomach growing tighter as she stood on the bright red and gold rug, in a room that resembled a large temple of worship. The walls were decorated with brightly colored stained-glass windows that depicted grand tales of past heroes and royalty who sought to protect the ancient power of the goddesses from the hands of the evil king. She knew these tales well. Everyone in the kingdom who had an inkling of an education knew them. In front of her was the throne-the throne that had seated every king and queen of the past in Hyrule, even the evil king himself.

When the noble King Devrim entered the room, his wife and young son at his side, Impa lowered herself and knelt in respect. The king was tall and thin and had pale skin and silky golden hair that fell to his shoulders and intense green eyes that sparkled like emeralds. A golden grown lay atop his head, and fine red silk robes draped over him, nearly reaching the floor. His wife, Queen Ambi, was quite the opposite in appearance. She was a petite woman who had skin so dark it was almost ebony, her head decorated with long black braids that fell as far down as her waist. Her eyes were an extremely dark brown color and her lips were full and elegant.

The small boy at Ambi's side was their five-year-old son, Ralis. He looked more like his mother than anything. His skin was slightly lighter, yet still as dark as the earth below, as were his eyes as well. His black hair was extremely curly and spouted out of his head in all directions. Because he was a young child, his hair was very difficult to keep from being unruly.

Impa noticed that the young princess Zelda was missing from their flock and was tempted to ask where she was because she had been anticipating meeting her for quite a while. However, Impa held her tongue unless spoken to first. She expected that she would probably have all of her questions answered at some point.

"At ease, young Lady Impa." The king said with a commanding, yet gentle voice, looking her over with a smile, "Dark skin, unmistakable crimson eyes, and silvery-white hair… You are very much your mother's daughter."

She could hear the little boy whisper to his mother, "Is her name Impa? Is she going to live with us?"

Ambi replied, "Yes, she is going to live with your sister and take care of her."

Prince Ralis looked sincerely disappointed, "Why can't she take care of _me_?"

"Because," Ambi said with a small chuckle, "You already have many nannies who take care of you, dearie."

This small exchange made Impa smile. She could tell she was already appreciated here, even by the smallest of the castle's residents.

"As you can tell, my daughter Zelda is not with us at the moment. Please excuse her; she has been out riding in Hyrule Field with a few of our guards for the afternoon. She often does not stay out this long, so she should be returning shortly. She does love to be on horseback more often than she does staying in the castle nowadays."

"It's no trouble at all, your majesty." Impa said, correcting her posture.

The king motioned for her to follow him, "Let us speak in the garden. The atmosphere is much more calming down there, I think."

Impa was surprised at how kind this man was, especially since she had heard that he wasn't the most sociable and talkative of rulers. She was expecting him to be much less… welcoming of her, in a way.

The garden was spectacular, to say the least. It was a warm spring day and the air smelled sweet with the blooming of many native Hyrulean flowers. Impa was amazed at the neatly trimmed hedges and brightly colored bushes and vines that made the atmosphere feel like a vibrant painting. She took notice of every single butterfly that pollinated the flowers in exchange for sweet nectar; all of them were unique and beautiful in their own ways.

"You know what the old legends say about this garden, don't you?" He began, carefully holding a white rose that had blossomed magnificently.

Impa nodded, "Yes. It is said that the Hero of Time snuck through here as a young boy to expose the Evil King's plans to the princess."

"And do you know what happened to him after that?" He asked.

"Well I…" Impa thought for a few moments, "I think he left Hyrule in search of a friend… but he returned much later and not much else is written about his life in the history books. All we are told is that he was the savior of Hyrule."

"He faded out of history. Why do you think that?"

"The responsibility of being the goddesses' chosen hero must have worn him down… I know it would have worn me down."

"And the Hero of Twilight? What do you think happened to him after defeating Ganon, finishing what his ancestor started?"

"He…he fell into obscurity as well."

The petals of the rose began to fall to the ground, one by one.

"No one has seen a true hero since. It seems that the spirit of the Hero has finally been broken once and for all, and it's easy to see why."

"Because Ganon is dead?"

"No," The king replied, "because the spirit of the Hero has finally been put to rest after countless cycles of reincarnation. His soul was irreparably torn to pieces after carrying the fate of the world numerous times."

Each and every petal had fallen off of the rose except for one, which the king himself pulled out at last.

"Perhaps we took his heroism for granted. Perhaps we should have done things differently to keep his soul intact and keep him from suffering as much as he did in all of his lifetimes." He blew the petal away and watched it dance in the wind, "After all, he was only a human, just like us."

Impa was curious as to why he would bring up the Legendary Heroes at this time, but only questioned it inwardly.

The king finally decided to change the subject to more lighthearted things and asked Impa about herself. She wasn't quite good at introductions, as she didn't find herself as interesting as most people, yet he listened to her every word with interest as she talked. He then proceeded to describe what her life would be like in the castle and her daily duties as the princess' caretaker and personal guardian.

"I am quite confident you two will become very close." He said, "Sweet girl, that one, but terribly blunt and hard headed. You don't want to anger her." He chuckled, "My daughter and I, we tend to butt heads quite a lot. I do hope she someday learns to understand that everything I do is in her best interest."

"I do not doubt it, your Majesty."

"I'm glad." He replied, "I just want her to understand that it's very difficult to be both a good ruler and a good father."

Impa nodded in understanding and appreciated his sincerity, even though it was obvious that his relationship with his daughter wasn't the smoothest. She hoped that she could be a possible bridge between the two because she wanted more than anyone for people to appreciate their parents while they still had them, especially because her mother had left her life much too early.

"Your Majesty! _Your Majesty_!" A young Hylian soldier ran up to them and stopped to catch his breath, sweat pouring down his face as he tried his hardest to gain control over his words. He seemed especially distraught over the news he was about to give to his king.

"The… the princess… she…" He tried, still out of breath and seemingly going into a sort of panic mode. The king grew increasingly worried over what could have happened to his daughter.

"Now, young man, what seems to be the matter with Zelda?" He asked, attempting to stay calm. "Has she returned? I hope she hasn't gotten herself hurt on that large horse of hers."

The soldier pointed to the direction of Castle Town, motioning that the king was needed at the front gates immediately. Impa followed the king toward the source of the panic without delay, causing them both to agonize over the possible fate of their dear princess.

The sight that was waiting for them at the gate was more horrific than anything Impa had ever laid her young eyes on.

The color was drained from the king's face as he stood there, staring at the horrendous spectacle, with no words able to escape his mouth except, "Boreas," He could only manage to whisper almost inaudibly, "That's her gelding, Boreas."

The large, black friesian gelding stood before the castle gates in front of the king, his wife, Impa, and the entire castle staff, all collectively horrified.

The horse had returned to the castle with no rider, but severed, bloody heads of all five soldiers who had been sent to accompany the princess during her ride around the usually peaceful Hyrule Field, tied around his neck as some humiliating display. Upon further inspection, none of Zelda's body parts were anywhere to be found.

"She could still be alive." One soldier said, attempting to keep the flame of hope burning for their princess. "Look," He found a note hidden under the beaten up saddle, "They could have kidnapped her."

"Why would anyone want my daughter?" Queen Ambi whispered, on the verge of breaking down in tears, "If it's gold or riches they want, give it to them! Do not let them have my daughter!"

The soldier handed the note to the king, who was still in wordless shock. He could not bear to look at the faces of the soldiers who had died bravely defending their princess. He unfolded it, only to find the words, written in dried blood:

' _I seek the power of the gods_

 _and my birthright to rule Hyrule.'_

King Devrim was speechless. Whoever had taken his daughter wanted the sacred relic passed down from the goddesses as well as wanting the crown for ransom-two things he could not give up. He was faced with an ultimatum: give Hyrule to a tyrant, who would sever the heads of the noble, or leave his daughter in the hands of those with the audacity to take her against her will and do goddesses know what to her.

He shook with anger as he ordered his soldiers and everyone who was faithful to him, " _Find her. Find my daughter_."

The queen put a loving hand on her husband's shoulder, attempting to keep her tears at bay, "My love, we do not know where to begin. We must investigate this further-"

"I know." He said, "But we need to send out a search party willing to negotiate as soon as possible. I want no harm to come to her."

Ambi nodded, attempting to keep herself as calm as possible in order to set an example for those around her. She was often the calm one in stressful situations. This time, however, keeping calm was the most difficult thing in the world.

The soldiers that were present made no delay in setting out to find the princess, but Impa was just as willing to help as well, mostly since she was originally assigned to guard the princess at all times.

After all, it was her sworn duty to protect her in times of danger; this was one of those times, and Impa was determined to bring her back safely, no matter the cost.

All of the hectic events had distracted the king and queen from noticing Impa's exit from the scene. They were too wrapped up in ordering the entire military to find the princess to even notice the Sheikah girl gathering her weapons and travel necessities and quietly leaving the castle.

She regretted not being able to inform anyone of her departure, but she had a job to do. This was her _duty_.

She left a note on her bed, informing whoever would come across it that she had set out on her own to find the one she had promised to protect at all costs.

As Impa entered the vast green plains of Hyrule Field, she noticed that dark, monstrous stormclouds had settled in the sky above her, ready to release its downpour. Thunder could be heard in the distance as it began to lightly drizzle, causing the warm spring temperature to drop. She shivered as she interpreted this as an omen of the things to come.

She pondered what the king had said about the spirit of the Hero and wondered whether or not it was true. Perhaps he truly was destined to never return, and Hyrule would have to fend for itself from now on.

Impa took a deep breath, gathering up her self-confidence in order to prepare herself for the long trek ahead. She didn't intend to stop until she knew the princess was safe.

* * *

 _ **Author's Notes**_

Honestly, I'll probably rewrite this chapter in the future. I'm a little burnt out right now. But hey! Things are picking up in the story!


	5. Expectations vs Reality

_**Expectations vs. Reality**_

* * *

"Link… Link… _Link_!"

When he opened his eyes, he had hardly any time to react in order to catch himself from falling to the floor face-first. He cursed at himself inwardly for almost falling asleep on the job _again_.

Karane was standing in front of him with an overly concerned look plastered across her face, "Link, are you alright? Do I need to call a doctor or something?"

"N-no," He stammered, rubbing the sleep from his eyes, "it's nothing."

"Then why are you passing out on me?" She looked him over, putting a palm to his forehead in order to check if he had some sort of fever. "Are you… When was the last time you slept?"

"I… uh…" He thought for a moment, trying to decide whether to be honest or not, mostly because he did not particularly like being fussed over.

"I don't know," was the only answer he could muster.

"Link, you can't keep ignoring this." Karane bent down to get on eye level with the boy, who had just sat down in a chair, avoiding her worried stare. "Why don't you go and take the rest of the day off? I can handle things for now. And you..." She took him by the shoulders and turned him in the direction of his basement bedroom, "You need to get some rest in order to function properly."

He immediately protested, remembering that every time he attempted to sleep, the nightmares would return. Even when he closed his eyes for little more than a minute, the demons from his dreams would return to hunt him down. "I can't!"

"And why not?" She inquired, with a frustrated look in her eyes. Link felt a pang of guilt in his chest for refusing her help, even though he knew her intentions were the most sincere of heart. "Link, you know that I am telling you what to do because I care very much about your well being, right?"

She pulled him into a much-needed hug; which he didn't protest this time.

He let out a heavy sigh, "I know." He whispered, "Can I just… go outside and clear my head? I just need some time. To think."

Karane released her tight embrace on him and patted his shoulder, "Alright, but promise me you won't fall flat on your face in the middle of the road." She said with a chuckle.

He gave her a half hearted smile on his way out the door, silently hoping he was even able to keep that promise. He tried as best as he could to keep himself composed, but at this point, he just felt like a numb, emotionless mass. Yet, at the same time, he always felt on the edge of a panic attack or something very similar.

He breathed in the warm dry air of Kakariko Village, sincerely enjoying the strong wind that always blew from the top of Death Mountain. It felt as if he could never breathe the same breath of air twice because the wind never stopped travelling. And because of that, the great windmill never stopped moving. It was always being pushed by the winds. It had been said by some that the wind was a blessing upon the village by Farore, one of the three goddesses responsible for creating the world.

Link himself was never quite the religious type. He grew up only learning of the three goddesses' existence and the roles they had in creating the world and the legendary Triforce, but his religious education went no further than that. He was often told of the existence of spirits and guardian deities that presided over Hyrule's lands to protect them, but he had never personally believed in them as he had never seen any evidence that they were any more real than fairy tales.

He knew many people who were very open about their faith and practiced it daily, one of whom was Karane. She often told him that she was praying for him whenever he had been in a mental low point, and seemed genuinely convinced it would help. Link wasn't sure entirely what it meant, but he didn't question it. He wondered if life was easier for people who believed in the gods and regularly communicated, as most people who did were generally happier people.

He didn't want to dwell on it, since he felt that, even if the gods were real, they would be severely disappointed in him since he had been essentially ignoring them his whole life and hadn't done anything of true value or honor. He was only a lowly kitchen boy, and nothing more.

Link decided that a good use of his time alone would be to sit on the balcony of the Elde Inn, overlooking the entire town from above. The wind was significantly stronger the higher up in altitude one went when in Kakariko.

"May I sit with you?" He heard a small, quiet voice from behind him. When he looked over his shoulder, he saw that it was the village shaman Old Lady Luda. She was a short elderly woman with thin, straight white hair, dark eyes, full lips, dressed in leathers with varying shades of brown, walked on a wooden cane, and was the oldest resident in Kakariko. She often tended to the sick and wounded and was known as the greatest medic in all of Hyrule.

"Sure," Link said, silently wanting to be alone, but couldn't bring himself to say no to a sweet old lady such as Luda.

After a brief moment of silence and enjoying the view of the town, Link decided to break the silence by asking her a question.

"Do you have any kind of medicine that can take my dreams away?"

She gave him an inquisitive look, "No, I do not. I have many sleeping aids, but nothing that will keep dreams from entering your mind when you sleep. Why do you ask?"

Link sighed, "I just… I keep having terrible nightmares and they've been tormenting me for weeks. I'm…" He paused, and his voice fell to a trembling whisper, " _I'm afraid_ …"

He proceeded to bury his face in his hands, "It's stupid to be afraid. None of it is real."

"Young man, you mustn't scold yourself for feeling a very real human emotion. Having fear is necessary, and admitting it is very brave."

He scoffed at being called 'brave', not believing her one bit. _Yeah right_ , he thought. _All I do is run from my problems._

Link's doubt in himself was plainly obvious; Luda could read him like a book. She leaned over and pinched his pointed ear sharply, causing him to let out a small yelp of pain in return.

" _What in Hyrule was that for_?"

"I will not allow you to have self depreciative thoughts. You are much more valuable than you think you are."

"How did…?" He knew he wouldn't get a definitive answer, so he didn't ask how she knew what he was thinking. "Sorry…"

"No need to apologise. It takes many years to unlearn what you were raised to think."

He wanted to tell her not to bring up his mother every single time he wasn't doing well, but Luda was right. For the first eight years of his life, he was constantly belittled and verbally abused by the one person who should have protected and nurtured him. He had done his best to forget his past as much as he could and embrace the life he had now, but it was a slow, grueling process.

He just wanted to be able to live a life that was filled with new adventures and memories to replace the old ones.

Luda decided to break the silence once more, taking on a more serious tone in her voice. "I once knew a man who would never admit that he needed help, and it almost destroyed him. It would break the hearts of your loved ones if you make the same mistake."

Link looked at her, slightly surprised at what she had just said. He didn't know how to respond because of how vague and broad she was.

"Luda, I'm not sure I understand…" He said as he furrowed his brow.

The elderly woman stood up slowly to take her leave, "I hope you will understand, someday, that you mustn't suffer alone." She opened the door to the inn and her voice fell to a whisper, inaudible to Link who was still sitting on a chair on the balcony behind her, "You remind me of him… I see a courageous heart in you."

She closed the door behind her, leaving Link to be alone with his thoughts again.

He decided to further get his mind off of his troubles by visiting the nearby Goron village at the foot of Death Mountain. It was a strenuous trek uphill, which took almost an hour to complete, but it was not ever too difficult for Link. Despite his recent insomnia, he was always agile and strong for his age and size.

On his off days, he would spend much of his time in the small Goron village with two Gorons he had befriended and had taken the boy under their wing, Amoto and Liggs, who played many games with him and taught him the ways of surviving on the mountain. Link always had a strange love for the outdoors, and being with the Gorons made him feel at home.

By the time evening had rolled around, Link and the two Gorons sat by a campfire and shared stories of epic proportion with each other. Some sounded obviously too hyperbolic and ridiculous to be true, others were downright comedic. Liggs' story told of a dodongo that was the size of a house that had terrorized the Gorons hundreds of years ago.

Link laughed at how preposterous the story was. The likelihood of a dodongo reaching any size larger than a dog was laughably small.

"I heard it was true! It's an old Goron tale." Amoto protested. "They say it kept us from mining for food and almost starved us all to death! Well, it's what the elders say, anyways."

Link chuckled, "And how'd they get it out?"

Liggs replied, "They say that a child of the forest slayed the beast."

"Really?" Link scoffed, raising his eyebrows in disbelief.

"Yeah, yeah," Liggs said, "I don't believe it, personally, but a few of the elders take it real seriously."

Amoto interjected, "That's part of that Hero of Time story. Y'know, the Hero that's reborn every time there's a bad thing goin' on."

"That's just a legend," Liggs said.

"The Hero returned and defeated that evil king a hundred-or-so years ago, I recall. He was the real deal. Saved all of Hyrule." Amoto retorted.

"There was no 'Hero' when there was a civil war a couple years ago. Explain that."

Amoto went silent, pondering Liggs' argument. "You're right. Hmm." He scratched his chin and gestured to Link after a moment. "What do you think, Link? Do you think it's true? That the Hero is real?"

Link stared at the fire as its flames began to dim down, yearning for more fuel. He hadn't really considered any of the stories he was told to be true, personally, but it did not completely rule out any of them to be true. He wasn't sure what to think. He always assumed them to be just stories and nothing more.

He simply replied to his Goron friend with a sheepish smile and a shrug.

"Indecisive as ever. That's our Link!" Liggs laughed, patting his young Hylian friend on the back.

They sat around the campfire, admiring the stars for a good while longer. The night sky was clear, and the air was cold on the mountain, which was brightly illuminated by the waning gibbous moon.

"Thanks for hanging out with me today, guys." Link said, breaking the peaceful silence. "I needed to get my mind off of things." He told them that he had to head back to Kakariko before it became late enough for monsters to roam around in the wee hours of the night. They said their goodbyes and he was off.

The cool night wind on the small dirt road to Kakariko gave him chills that ran down his spine. As he neared Kakariko, he noticed a strange cloud that had almost blotted out the moon's light. He noticed that it was no ordinary cloud, however. It was a cloud of smoke… coming straight from his destination.

 _Kakariko_.

He darted around the bend, hoping that the source of the smoke was merely a large bonfire, or something. His heart raced at the realization that someone could be in danger. As he came closer, he found that what was causing the smoke was a fire.

Several houses were burning.

He heard screams of terror, windows crashing, and he felt an overwhelming smoldering heat surround him as he entered the village. He made his way towards Karane's house, his house, frantically searching for her, hoping she would be safe. He hoped that the fire was an accident, and that every resident of Kakariko would get out safely. Link called out to her amidst the flames. To his horror, the house was burning down beyond recognition and there was no way in.

After a brief moment, he heard a response to his desperate calls. He heard Karane screaming his name from down the road, screaming for help. He immediately ran toward the source, grabbing a stone, the size of two of his hands combined.

He found her, behind a small shed, cowering in front of a tall man in a cloak whose sword was drawn, smiling maniacally. Karane was on the ground, fearing for her life, and seemingly looked injured, which kept her from being able to run away. The man didn't take notice of the boy behind him, who immediately lunged for the man, striking him over the head with the stone he had, shattering it upon impact.

The man stumbled forward and fell to his knees, catching himself with his hands. He reeled around, giving Link the most nasty, terrifying glare. Link's heart skipped a beat as the man rushed toward him, grabbing him before he could run away.

"You think you can best me, boy?" The man growled as he pushed Link to the ground, painfully dragging him across the dirt. Link was too busy struggling against the man's tight hold on him to notice Karane behind them, who was reaching for a large, heavy tree branch on the ground. She struggled greatly to stand upright, due to an injury on her leg, but she had a strong will to get the boy out of harm's way.

She limped towards them as quickly as she could, noticing the man unsheathing a dagger and pointing it at Link's throat. The urgency of the situation filled her with adrenaline as she bashed the man over his head with the branch with all of her might, instantly knocking him out cold. He toppled to the side, freeing Link from his clutches.

The boy was shaking and bleeding from the assault, attempting to take in everything that had just happened. He suddenly heard voices horses galloping from further down the road, "Get up, get up. We have to hide." Karane said with a hushed but urgent tone, "The rest of them are coming."

Both of them rushed to hide behind a small chicken coop that was free of the fires around them. Link tried as best as he could to help support Karane while walking because of her injury.

Just as they were out of sight, three more men rushed to the side of the man who lay on the ground, unconscious from Karane's attack. As the others arrived he quickly came to and angrily explained to them what had happened.

"You were beaten to the ground by an injured woman and a kid?" One of them mocked as the rest of them laughed, "We already have what we need. Leave them. The villagers are not what we came here for."

The man shamefully stood up, and all four of them quickly rode off into the night, leaving the town to burn in their wake.

Karane and Link emerged from behind the coop, watching them as they rode away. They were at a loss of what to do; their house had been burned, the village was sacked. Dozens of people were left homeless including themselves.

"Who…" Link started, "Who were those guys?"

Karane hesitated, "I don't know," She said, "But I've heard rumors of a group that has been terrorizing Hyrule's towns and villages for the past month." She closed her eyes, hanging her head and rubbing her temples, "It seems that the rumors turned out to be true."

"What do we do now?"

"We have to recover and rebuild… but not without help."

* * *

 ** _Author's Notes_**

First of all, I apologize for disappearing for months without any explanation. The explanation is simple: School happened and I got busy because of it.

However, I've been doing the best I can to draft chapters and get back on track for semi-regular updates. I have been developing the story and further fleshing it out, so in the end, the wait will be worth it because you will get a better story.

Anywho, have a nice day. Keep reading and reviewing 3 I always love your feedback, even if I don't get around to responding!


	6. Queen Ambi's Request

_**Queen Ambi's Request**_

* * *

"Hold still."

Link winced and instinctively pulled away from Karane, who was attempting to dress the wound on his arm. "Sorry," he said. "You don't have to-"

" _You_ didn't have to save me either." She said abruptly, "I'm doing what I can to return the favor. You saved my life."

They sat on what used to be the porch of Karane's quaint estate the morning after it had burned to the ground. The smell of old smoke filled the air, but the wind from the mountain had cleared most of it away. What remained were the ashes and charred wood from the dwellings that were burnt. The only building that stood still was the Kakariko Inn, which, ironically, was the oldest building in the town.

Karane had gotten medical help from the ones who ran the Inn. They always had first aid, as Luda was the most well-known healer in all of Hyrule. Karane had simply sprained her ankle from the attack the night before and had gotten it taken care of for the time being.

"How are we going to recover from this?" Link asked her, "The people here don't have the money to completely rebuild."

"We'll find a way." Karane simply said, dabbing the scrape wound on his face with a damp cloth. "Perhaps…" She stopped to think for a moment, "Perhaps we could send someone to request assistance from the King."

"Assistance?"

"Well, yes. Every year, we, the citizens of Hyrule, pay taxes to the King so that the government can build things for the people like roads and bridges. Technically, we could request for some of those taxes to go toward funding rebuilding our village. We give, and they give back. That's how it's supposed to be, anyways."

"Supposed to be?" Link asked her to elaborate.

"Public works projects were more of Queen Zelda's thing. You know, the King's late sister, back when she used to run Hyrule. Things have been going a bit downhill since then."

For a good long while, there was silence, mostly because of how physically and emotionally exhausted both of them were from the night before.

"I can go." Link said, finally.

"What?"

"I'll go to Castle Town and speak to the King. I know the way."

"You're in no condition to be galavanting across Hyrule Field right now, young man." Karane lectured, "We have to send someone else."

"Why shouldn't I?"

Karane went silent and exhaled deeply, shutting her eyes, "It's a long way to Castle Town from here, and you would have to travel on foot. The road is dangerous."

"I can do it."

That was the first time in many months she had heard him say that, or give any indication that he had faith in himself. She began to change her mind. He was a capable young boy who always failed to see himself as anything more. She saw this as a chance to regain his spirits. She trusted him. Deep down, she _knew_ he was capable.

Yet her motherly instinct made her hesitate, she had grown very fond of Link and considered him to be her own. Should anything happen to him if she let him go, she would never forgive herself.

"Karane, please," He said, "I want to do something worthwhile. Something that makes me not useless. Please let me help."

"Link, you're never useless," Karane sighed, "I'll let you go… but not without letting me help you prepare."

"I won't let you down." He said sincerely, locking his bright blue eyes with her dark brown ones. "I promise."

A small smile appeared on Karane's face, "I know you won't. You never have and you never will."

Link returned her smile, hoping to all the gods and spirits in the world that she was right.

* * *

Karane had given Link an overabundance of supplies for the journey to Castle Town, which he was grateful for nonetheless. She gave him a magical satchel that could carry things many times its size inside, and that could give the illusion of weightlessness to the bag. It had the essentials: A full canteen of water, food, a sleeping mat, empty bottles, several ruppees, and many more miscellaneous items inside.

He also took a dagger for with him for safety measures, should he run into trouble on the way. He strapped its sheath to his belt on his right side.

He said his goodbyes to Karane, who urged him to return with help as soon as possible. The seriousness in her eyes was so intense that it almost scared him, but he knew she was only thinking of his safety and wellbeing, which he appreciated greatly.

Link inhaled and exhaled as he looked upon the vast, green expanse that was Hyrule Field. He could see a silhouette of the grand castle on the western horizon, beyond the trees and the rolling hills that seemed to go on forever.

All roads lead to Hyrule, he reminded himself.

The journey to Castle Town was supposed to take around two days if completed on foot. The first day of travel was uneventful, as Link did much to stay on task, focus, and not get sidetracked. _Get there as soon as possible_ , he said to himself inwardly.

His memories of Castle Town were not the pleasant kind. He was born and raised there by his abusive mother in squalor. The shrill sound of her voice still haunted him six years later, even at fourteen.

He tried to shake the thoughts from his mind; that happened in the past. He no longer had any connection with his old life and he wasn't obligated to see his mother in Castle Town. He didn't even know if she was even still alive. He hadn't heard from her since the day he left.

Some mother she was.

 _Never mind all that_ , he thought to himself.

By nightfall, Link had settled down by a lone tree atop of a hill that looked over the horizon. He was halfway there. He didn't truly want to stop to sleep because he knew the nightmares would return, but he knew it was necessary for him to have enough energy to get to the castle before night set in.

As he dreamed, he found himself in a familiar black, endless void. He knew what was going to happen next.

He shut his eyes tight, bracing himself for the inevitable wolf attack, only this time, he waited for a long time. Nothing came. He saw nothing.

No, he saw the silhouette of a girl.

"This is weird." Link thought aloud.

The girl turned around, looking in his direction at the source of the only sound that could be heard in the void.

Link's heart raced, he hadn't meant to get her attention. He feared that the girl was an attack in disguise, waiting for the right moment to catch him off guard.

"Who's there?" He heard the girl say, "What… what are you doing here?"

"It's only a dream," He reminded himself, still preparing himself for the worst.

"No! No! It's not… this isn't right. Who are you?!" The girl grew frantic with confusion, she seemed desperate.

"I…" Link hesitated, not knowing what to say, other than it was just a dream. After all, he knew he was dreaming, right?

The girl's panic rose with every passing second, "I need to get out of here. I need to get out of here! _I need to get out of here!_ "

Link didn't know how to console her. For all he knew, she was a figment of his imagination and a product of his dreams. However, she seemed to be more sentient than most other figures he dreamed about.

He looked over his shoulder, remembering the wolf. He hadn't noticed it was behind him the entire time. Watching. Glaring.

A wave of anxiety rose from the pit of his stomach. He braced himself for its attack, only this time, nothing happened.

The wolf walked past him, seemingly ignoring Link as it approached the girl's silhouette. She was on her knees, sobbing, pleading, murmuring thing about her family and how she didn't want to live anymore. That everything was hopeless.

Link watched in disbelief as the wolf, who had been ferocious and merciless in past nightmares, bent toward the girl and began to lick her face, seemingly comforting her. She embraced the beast and held on tight to its fur, whispering into its ear.

" _Please… please… please…_ " Was all Link could hear her say.

The wolf turned its attention to Link, fixing its icy blue gaze on him. He almost lost himself in its eyes when the void collapsed, and he found himself waking to the sharp, piercing tone of a bird's repetitive song.

It was sunrise.

He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes as he sat up from the sleeping mat and let out a small sigh, wondering why this particular dream had been different than the ones before. He didn't want to dwell on it, as he reminded himself that he had a job to do.

After packing everything up, he set out for the castle, hoping that this day would be as quiet and easy as the day before. He was constantly on the lookout for people like those men, who had attacked his village. There were whispers of a nameless force that was threatening the peace in Hyrule, as if the already existing political unrest wasn't enough.

Day two was almost as uneventful as day one. Link tried to occupy his mind with engaging things to avoid boredom and fatigue from constantly walking.

He suddenly turned his attention to his surroundings when he could feel the faint sensation of hooves beating the ground. It was getting stronger, and louder. He knew he was being approached.

Link turned around to face whatever was coming toward him, clenching the dagger that was strapped to his belt tightly in his hand. What he saw were not horses or the men who had attacked Kakariko that he had feared, but boars.

Bulblins riding atop massive boars.

Link grew tense. He had only seen Bulblins with his own eyes a few times in his life. They inhabited the vast open plains and deserts of Hyrule and were mostly nomadic. They were fierce, intimidating, and warlike creatures, but they were also intelligent. Bulblins were previously known to be enemies of Hyrule over a century ago, but had not attacked Hylians for a long time. Not since making an alliance with the Hero of Twilight.

The Bulblins took notice of Link, who had been watching them approach and they stopped to surround him.

 _Stay calm_ , he reminded himself inwardly, _stay calm and they won't bother you_. "Good morning," Link greeted, straightening up. "How are your travels? Seen anything exciting or unusual?"

They didn't answer. Link could feel himself becoming more and more nervous as a bead of sweat ran down his forehead.

One of the Bulblins, a significantly larger one, grunted, "Got any food, boy?"

"Ah, yes, of course I do." He rummaged through his satchel and pulled out the only meat he could find, which was only a small amount of jerky and held it up to the creature. He knew Bulblins were strict carnivores. "Sorry, this is all I have. All I have that you would like, anyways."

The large Bulblin took it and gave a grunt of appreciation. "You Hylians are just as barbaric as you think we are." He remarked.

Link gave him an inquisitive look, wondering what he meant by that. Link had never committed any violent act in his life, if that was what he was accusing him of.

The beast elaborated, "Men from the north, beyond the mountains of Snowpeak, they do unspeakable things and call it justice."

Link wondered if he was referring to the men who burned Kakariko.

"They are hiding, but I know where," The beast continued, "Along the river, in the Lanayru province. They fight under a the banner of a red lion."

The Bulblins got ready to ride off, when the largest one spoke again, "We fight on the side that is strongest, that is all we know." And with that, they were off.

Link let out a sigh of relief, internally thanking the goddesses for his safety. He wondered what the beast meant by 'strongest side', and doubted that Hyrule was strong in any sense of the word anymore. He hoped with all his heart that the Bulblins were not planning on turning on the civilians of Hyrule and join the ranks of those who would spread terror.

He did not want to imagine the carnage that would unfold if the Bulblins joined them.

He shook the thought from his head and moved on.

Castle Town was not any different from how Link left it. It had many sights, smells, and many street vendors with overpriced goods. He could almost visibly see the growing gap between the rich and the poor and it filled him with a sadness like no other. He was one of those starving, dirty, and depressed children that begged on the side of the road for food and money to get by. He remembered the experiences well, even though he did his best to push them out of his mind.

Being reminded of it first hand was not helping.

 _Focus_ , he thought, _you came here to do one thing_.

He looked up at the castle, almost having to bend over backwards to get a look at the whole thing. It was magnificent as ever. It gave a off a fleeting vibe of Hyrule's past greatness and its potential to be even greater, but it was also a grim reminder of those who live above poverty with the ability to ignore it all and thrive on unnecessary extravagance.

"State your purpose." A guard at the main gates to the castle said firmly.

"I'm here to seek audience with the king." Link was getting nervous again, "It's urgent and of the utmost importance that I speak with him as soon as possible."

"The king has many matters to attend to. You certainly aren't the first who has come to him with an urgent request. If you must see him you must be put on the waiting list."

"How long would that take?" Link was dreading having to wait more than a week.

"At least a month."

That was exactly the opposite of what he wanted to hear.

"I can't wait that long. There are people who are out of homes! We cannot live off of what little we have left without any assistance. Please, I'm begging you-"

"There is not a thing I can do about that. I am merely the messenger. I have no control over these things."

"Well, you do have control over getting this message to _someone_ that can help, if you are a messenger." Link tried, "Please, I'll give you ruppees. I don't know what else to do. At this rate, everyone in Kakariko Village will be completely homeless and it'll be all your fault if you don't at least pass on my request. There has to be something-"

"Alright, alright, I get it," The guard said, awkwardly shuffling in his spot. "Now, please understand. I, uh, maybe I can at least try to help. I mean, not all hope is lost."

"Are you sure?"

"N-no. It's fine. I'll see what I can do." The guard sighed with disdain, only obliging in order to shut the kid up for the time being. This guard in particular was a real pushover, which reflected the general attitude of most of them.

Link waited nearly an hour before he the guard returned. He had a small piece of paper in his hand with a bright red seal on it, presumably from the king himself.

"I apologize," The guard said, "The king is simply too busy. You will have to be put on a waiting list if you insist to see him."

Just as Link had thought, it was useless. He looked down at the ground in disappointment. "Thanks anyways." He said.

"There's more," The guard interrupted, "Her Majesty the Queen has offered to see you instead."

* * *

Link was more nervous than he had ever been in his entire life.

He had no idea that the queen was able to receive people in place of the king. It made sense for her to, though. Hyrulean queens had much more power and experience than most people gave them credit for. After all, their nation was founded by the very first of the royal family, who had been a woman, and it had a long history of making their eldest daughters their heirs rather than sons.

It was just surprising to Link that the queen would be so eager to take him in, of all people.

The guards had led him into the throne room, which was more magnificent than he had even imagined. He had never seen more extravagance in a single room before.

The queen stood at the right hand of the golden throne, wearing a simple bright red cape dress that draped all the way to the ground. Her black skin shined in the throne room's natural light with an ethereal glow.

Link was stunned by her beauty, almost to the point of forgetting to give a respectful bow to his superior. "Your Majesty," He said, "I give you my eternal thanks for receiving me on such short notice."

"There is no need for thanks," She said, smiling ever so slightly. "Many things have been happening that call for my husband's attention. I hope you can understand that."

"Of course! I mean, it's not an easy job, I assume. I'm sorry if I gave the impression that I was not understanding of that." Link let out a nervous chuckle.

"It's alright." She said quietly, "Might I ask your name?"

"My name is Link."

"And what brings you here today?"

"Kakariko Village, the home of myself and dozens of other people of Hyrule, has been attacked, burned, and robbed. We have been left with little to rebuild. All I ask is for some assistance from the Royal Family."

"You were attacked?" Her expression grew with concern.

"Yes…" Link remembered the vile men he saw that tried to take everything he held dear away from him. "They were mounted on horses, and wore black and purple cloaks… they were heavily armed and stole all they could from civilians."

The queen's expression quickly changed from vague concern to that of strong anger and sadness. She seemed to have heard of familiar occurrences. Link assumed she had caught wind of the rumors surrounding a strange group of men attacking villages at random all over Hyrule.

"This isn't the first time you have heard of this happening?" He asked.

"No." She said, her voice turned grim and shook with emotion. She attempted to compose herself. "I will send a relief aid team to your village. I will do all I can to ensure that Kakariko is rebuilt but I cannot guarantee its safety from future attacks. I've conducted many investigations on who is committing all of these crimes but we have little to no leads. I am sorry I cannot do as much as I'd like."

"Thank you for everything, Your Majesty." Link gave one last bow before taking his leave, but he then remembered what the Bulblins had told him on his way to the castle. He felt that any new information would be of use to the queen. "I may have information on their whereabouts, if that's of any interest to you."

The queen's eyes lit up with shock and urgency, "Really?"

He nodded, she led him into a private meeting room for further privacy. He was even more nervous now. He was completely alone with the queen of Hyrule, save for the few guards that had been stationed outside the door for safety reasons.

"My husband and I have been trying to track these men down for nearly a month." She started, her tone was grim again. "If you have any information regarding these monsters, I would be glad to hear it and bring them to swift justice."

Link told her without hesitation everything that he knew. It seemed to be new information about their whereabouts and the red lion sigil that was an indicator of their allegiance. She had never heard of any house whose sigil was that of a red lion, but it was reason enough to believe that these men were united for one leader and a purpose.

She then began to tell him the reason why she was so heavily interested in stopping these men for good.

"They've taken my daughter, the princess Zelda. They claim that she is alive and demand the throne for her freedom. They've killed off every single attempt to negotiate or rescue her."

Her expression was one of pure sadness and anger, but a flicker of hope still remained in her eyes as she locked them on Link. "But with this new information, I'm positive we can get the upper hand." She clasped Link's left hand in her own, squeezing it gently. "I've been planning a rescue mission of my most elite warriors, but they are in need of a guide, someone who is quick and light on their feet." Link somehow knew what she was about to ask of him, and he didn't know what he would do. "Will you be apart of this mission?"

He hesitated. Part of him wanted to refuse. Failing her would ensure a horrible death, or worse.

"If you accept, I will make sure you receive the best combat training Hyrule has to offer from our finest soldiers, and I promise you our family's eternal blessing if you bring my daughter back home safely."

His guts were screaming no.

"I prayed last night for someone to be able to help my family, and the gods have answered. They sent you to me for a reason, Link. You are our last hope."

He was afraid, but he didn't want to refuse the queen of Hyrule. He understood her position. She was a desperate mother who would do anything for her child, and he knew that everything she was asking was in her daughter's best interest. He didn't want to take away that hope from someone who had every reason to abandon it.

Link took a deep breath. He knew that if he accepted, it meant that he would not be able to go home for a long while.

But he knew that Kakariko Village would be getting help soon, and if he wrote to Karane and told her of his newfound position in the queen's elite rescue squad, he knew she would understand.

He had very little time to think about all of the pros and cons of accepting, so he exhaled and shook the queen's hand.

"I accept." He said.

She smiled. The small glimmer of hope in her eyes grew substantially.

"Then you will begin training tomorrow morning."

* * *

 _ **Author's Notes**_

This chapter was very difficult to write, to be quite honest. I'll revise it later.

I based the queen off of Lupita Nyong'o, so every outfit she wears will also be based off of what Lupita has worn. I have a massive respect for her and I admire her greatly, as she is one of my favorite actresses.

Please give feedback! I always love to hear your thoughts and comments.


	7. Rescue

_**Rescue**_

* * *

Two weeks. Link only had two weeks to complete his training at the warrior academy in the basement of the castle. Two weeks before he and the queen's elite squad would set out to rescue the princess on a daring, and almost suicidal mission.

He didn't try to worry about it much, especially since many of the men on the team were masters at the art of swordplay. Learning how to fight came very easily to Link, which surprised him. He was never one for violence and preferred to only use force when absolutely necessary, but he figured that what he was training for was one of those times.

Including Link, there were twenty members of the rescue operation squad. All of them were older than Link, including the youngest, Howard, who was sixteen. Even Howard was years ahead of Link in combat experience, and would often display his superiority in the most arrogant and prideful ways. He was tall, muscular, and strong for his age, and it would be very easy for one to assume he was much older than he actually was. Still, there was no reason to believe he wasn't a skilled fighter either. Link didn't particularly like him very much, but he didn't want to make it very obvious in order to avoid any possible conflict.

The thing that irritated Link the most, however, was Howard constantly feeling the need to out-do Link at all times. Link was a fast learner, and felt that swordplay came naturally to him. Howard took offense to this and would often throw insults at the boy, invalidating his accomplishments.

Link tried not to let Howard get to him, though. He knew he was doing it because of pride and entitlement, because that's exactly what Howard was. Entitled.

For the most part, though, Link very much did enjoy the company of most of the group. They were quite welcoming, aside from the fact that they weren't very conversational. However, they did to as much as they could to teach him the ways of the sword, giving him useful tips and techniques for combat. Link hoped that he would never actually have to fight, though, and that the rest of the group would handle most of that on their own.

Hans, the oldest and most seasoned warrior of the entire group, was closest thing to a leader they had. He immediately took Link under his wing and made sure to give him the best training possible, which he was eternally grateful for.

Jon was the strategist and Hans' best friend. They often worked together on planning and organizing their team, and they were both very well respected in the group.

Each person in the group had matching uniforms except for Link. They had much trouble finding anything in his size, because people of his stature and build were not normally considered to go on such missions. Ramin and Howard found a dusty old trunk of outdated uniforms in a storage closet and found one outfit that roughly resembled theirs, except for the fact that it was not a dull grey and white at all.

The uniform they found for Link was the only thing they could find in his size. It included sturdy khaki pants, an ivory undershirt, Goron chainmail, brown leather gauntlets and matching boots, and a forest green tunic with a matching cone-shaped hat.

At first, Link thought it was a joke that he was being given _this_ to wear on their mission.

He decided to suck up his pride and put the uniform on. Despite its ridiculousness, he found the outfit to be rather comfortable and easy to move around in. The chainmail was heavier than he anticipated, but he figured he would have to get used to wearing it often, and for long periods of time.

Howard and Ramin attempted to conceal their amusement at Link's obvious embarrassment. He knew he looked funny, but he did his best to ignore them.

Even Jon tried to stifle a small giggle at the boy, to which he finally responded.

"Alright, I get it. But I don't think it looks _that_ bad."

"It's not that, really." Jon said, having a giggle fit. "You just look like a fairy."

Ramin spoke up from across the room, "I doubt you even know what a fairy looks like. No one's seen one for a hundred years."

"I've seen illustrations from books!"

Ramin scoffed, "Alright, Mr. Know-It-All."

Link rolled his eyes at this exchange and gave an amused scoff, folding his arms. He decided to keep the uniform, despite its ridiculousness. Hans told him that its forest green color would help camouflage him better than their grey and white uniforms, which would help keep the youngest member of the group out of harm's way.

The clothes were oddly comfortable, save for the slightly heavy chainmail. Link felt he could move around in it with ease. It just felt _right_.

As the days of rigorous training went by, Link could feel himself becoming a competent swordsman. In one of the one-on-one duel exercises, he even beat Howard, who was known for his great skill at duels. He didn't take his defeat well at all.

"That wasn't fair! I demand a rematch." He said, tossing off his protective helmet in his frustration and running his hand through his sweaty ginger hair.

Hans, who was overseeing the match, shook his head. "No, Howard. Link was clearly the winner of this round. Good work, lad."

"Thank you, sir." Link bowed his head, cracking a small satisfied smile. It was nice to feel a small bit of pride in himself for once.

Howard, being the short-tempered teenager that he was, was not pleased. "Yeah? We'll see how talented you are during a surprise attack!" He lunged at the younger boy while he wasn't looking, with Link only being able to defend himself from the blunt attack from Howard's shield with his arm, almost knocking himself backwards to the ground in the process.

Hans almost protested at Howard's arrogance, but he held himself back to see what Link would do. He wanted to test him.

Link recoiled from the sudden attack from his opponent, grasping his forearm with a tight grimace. _That'll bruise_ , he thought. He took a step back to brace himself for the next attack, planting his feet firmly on the ground to avoid stumbling. He noticed the overconfidence in Howard's swings, leaving a wide open weak spot that was easily exploitable.

Though Howard was a skilled swordsman, his one weakness was his overconfidence. He thought he could win every battle with his immense physical strength. Link noticed an open spot with every swing and fully intended to take advantage of it.

He quickly deflected a blow from Howard's sword with his own shield, sending him recoiling backwards to give Link enough time to duck, roll, and knock his opponent down with one fell swoop.

Howard hadn't realized what had thrown him to the ground before seeing Link's sword pointed at him, and the boy standing over him with a grin plastered onto his face.

"How did you…"

"I think I did pretty well against your surprise attack, huh?" Link said, offering Howard a hand to get him back on his feet.

Grumbling angrily, Howard did not accept his assistance.

Link's success in combat training only gave him a temporary feeling of safety. He felt confident in the mission to come. As long as all of the combat was left to the experts, Link felt that he had the best chance of survival. However, if situations had come to one-on-one combat, he felt that he would surely be prepared.

The night before the mission, Link could not free himself of all of his worst anxieties. He felt as if his chest was about to burst. He felt nauseous, like he was about to be sick. He couldn't stop shaking. Simply going to sleep was not an option.

He was afraid that if he did manage to fall asleep, his dreams would be unpleasant.

Morning arrived and Link did not get a wink of sleep. However, he was used to being constantly fatigued from a lack of proper rest.

Morning preparation was a blur. He didn't process everything that had happened that morning prior to setting out on horseback other than being too anxious to eat a sufficient meal and donning his ridiculous green outfit.

Hans sat the team down to go over their plan of action one more time before leaving the castle. "I sent riders to scout the wilderness all over the Lanayru province." He said, leaning over a map of the kingdom of Hyrule. "There has been suspicious activity and evidence that the group has set up camp near the cliff region, using the river as a convenient water source. It is likely that they are a very sizable legion that is heavily armed."

Link couldn't remember every single detail because of stress, but he perked up when he heard his name being called.

Hans had addressed him to give him instruction, "If it comes to battle, you must lay low and be near me at all times." He then addressed the entire group. "All past negotiation has failed. We must retrieve our princess with force. We will ambush them during the night."

Hans went on to explain the plan in great detail, and Link forgot most of what he heard. All he knew for certain was that he had to navigate, stay near Hans at all times, and remain unseen and out of battle.

Traveling Hyrule's grasslands on horseback proved to be much quicker than he expected it to be. Two days after leaving the castle, the team discovered what appeared to be horse tracks hastily covered up by loose foliage. They were fresh. Link tensed up as Hans confirmed that they had found a solid lead to the enemy camp, and possibly a lead to the princess and her captors.

Hans sent out scouts that were skilled in tracking. They had never failed him before. Within a few hours the scouts returned, confirming the whereabouts of the camp and that it belonged to the enemy-the men who rode under the sigil of a red lion.

This had all happened so fast. Link didn't feel prepared. By nightfall they would begin raiding the camp, using their small numbers to their advantage by increasing stealth.

 _Stay with Hans. Don't be seen._ Link told himself inwardly on repeat. No amount of self-encouragement seemed to calm his overbearing anxiety.

They reached the enemy camp on foot, in the dead of night. The tall grass that helped to shroud the team was becoming more and more sparse as the terrain became more mountainous and rocky. Their only shield was the darkness.

They came across the camp, which was lined with the red lion banner. They had found what they had long been searching for. The team spread out into groups of two to silently and stealthily search the camp for the princess.

Things seemed to be going well. They all went by unnoticed, weaving through tents and avoiding being seen by lookouts. The camp was not well lit at night at all. The mission seemed to be going so well, they hadn't seen a single enemy soldier.

Tension filled the air as more and more time passed, no sign of the princess had been found.

In fact, the camp seemed to be abandoned by the soldiers too.

Hans grew increasingly agitated as the mission progressed. They had still not found anyone at all in the camp.

As Hans was about to call his men off, he heard the faint sounds of muffled yells, tearing flesh, bodies hitting the ground, and silence.

Link now realized what was happening. They had been lured into the camp. It was all a trap.

Hans had no time to react before an arrow pierced him in the back of his left thigh. He doubled over as Link caught him before falling straight to the ground, face first.

"Are you alright?" Link knew the answer before the words even came out of his mouth. Of course not. There was an arrow in his leg, possibly severing a vital artery or vein. He put his hand on the arrow protruding from Hans' leg, about to attempt to pull it out, not giving it a second thought.

" _Don't-_ " Hans stopped him, "Do not… I could bleed out if you remove that now."

"I-I'm sorry."

"We have no time for apologies. We must get to safety."

Link nodded, terrified. Hans was right. Whoever had hit him with that arrow could strike again at any moment. They could still hear the dying screams of their teammates as they were slaughtered nearby, not in any position to save them. Link helped Hans behind a tent, finding a place to gather their bearings, hoping to find somewhere safe. The darkness had turned from a blessing to a nightmare.

They suddenly heard footsteps coming closer, they were being followed. Hans knew that this was it. He couldn't use one of his legs and couldn't bring himself to be responsible for the horrible death of a fourteen-year-old.

"I will not let you die." Hans told Link through gritted teeth. The boy was afraid. So afraid. He didn't understand why Hans cared more about his safety than his own.

Hans took out a knife and cut a hole in the nearest tent, then he took Link by the shoulders and shoved him out of sight of the attackers, hoping that no one would look for him or notice him.

Link fell backwards onto his back, all of the air leaving his lungs upon impact with the ground.

He could think of nothing else before he heard the sound of multiple stabs and Hans screaming in terror, struggling to fight back, until one final stab made him go silent. Link froze in fear. He heard what sounded like two men who killed Hans walk away, saying something like "Find and kill the others," or "Let none of them get away". Link couldn't process anything that was going on around him. He felt like he couldn't breathe. No amount of one-on-one combat training could have prepared him for any of this.

He saw blood splattered all over the other side of the tent. Hans' blood. He felt sick. He couldn't focus. He couldn't remember to get up and get away. He wasn't sure if he wanted to or if he was able to.

 _I am going to die_ , he thought.

His mind was racing, but at the same time, he felt like he couldn't think at all. He couldn't _move_.

The tent he hid in was full of supplies and food. He hid behind one of the giant barrels of what he assumed to be an ale of some kind, closing his eyes and covering his ears, attempting to block out the horrific sounds of his teammates meeting their end.

 _Coward. Coward. Coward. Why aren't you saving them?_ Link's intrusive thoughts were returning at the absolute worst time possible.

 _They are dying and you are cowering. You are useless._

He felt as if there was a dark entity shouting at him in the back of his mind. All he could hear was death, and his own thoughts, relentlessly taunting him. _Shaming_ him.

 _I'm dying,_ he thought. _I'm dying._

For a moment, he opened his eyes to find someone standing in front of him. He nearly jumped out of his skin.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" A trembling but demanding voice asked. He noticed that the person was a young girl, about his age, holding a kitchen knife as some sort of a self defense. She wore a tattered shirt and brown pants that almost looked as if they were made out of potato sacks, dirtied with who knows what all over. Above all other things, she looked terrified. She must have been a captive.

He didn't answer at first. He couldn't find the words that he wanted to say. He didn't even know what he wanted to say.

"Are you a part of the rescue mission?" She asked, pointing the knife at him.

Link nodded slowly.

"They knew you would come. This whole mission is a disaster and now they're killing you all. How am I ever going to get out of here?" The girl sounded more and more hysterical with each sentence. It was clear that she was in a heap of distress, probably even more so than Link.

"Do you know how long I've been here? The things I have been through? I successfully escaped but now I can't get away because you fools ruined my only chance. They are going to _kill_ me! Or worse! _Do you understand?!_ "

Link then understood exactly who this girl was and empathized with her immediately. He couldn't imagine what she had been going through just from the sound of her talking. This was the person they had been looking for this whole time.

"You're Princess Zelda," he whispered.

"Yes… and I am going to die alone here." Her voice shook as she choked back tears. It was clear that she was beginning to lose hope. Link couldn't help but feel for her and her situation. He hated seeing people despair, even if he barely knew them. He decided to pull himself together, knowing that he wasn't alone.

He exhaled, "No, we're going to get out of here. Alive. Together." He didn't know how, he didn't have a plan. Perhaps it was just wishful thinking, but it was enough to keep him from going back into a panic.

He extended his hand to her, and she looked at him with eyes filled with doubt. Link gave her a reassuring nod and she reluctantly took his hand. He was not usually optimistic, but if it meant that he could help someone else, he dropped his own feelings of self-doubt in a heartbeat. He needed to be strong for her.

He drew his sword for the first time, peeking his head out of the tent. He hoped that they would be harder to track down in the darkness because of how small both of them were. Zelda had already managed to escape from their clutches for the time being, and all they had to do was leave the camp, leaving no tracks behind.

Link could still hear the struggles of his friends as they fought for their lives. He had lost count of how many of them were already dead. He didn't want to know, or it would send him into another panic. He tried blocking their screams from his mind. _Just focus_. He held onto Zelda's hand tighter.

They were deep inside the camp, which made navigation difficult, especially considering that there was no way to tell which direction they were going. Link tried asking Zelda if she knew her way around, and which way was the fastest way out, but she had no idea. She had been isolated in one area for the duration of her being in captivity.

They noticed that her captors quickly figured out that the princess was missing. Alarm bells began to sound. Torches were lit. They began to run faster. Link could hear the princess cry quietly, "What are we going to do? They know. They _know_." He squeezed her hand in reassurance. "We're going to run for it." He said.

He dashed towards a clearing with Zelda close behind him. They seemed to have reached the end of the camp, but they were not home free yet.

Link hadn't seen the giant ravine in front of him, with violent, turbulent waters flowing below. He nearly tripped over the rocky edge from the running momentum before Zelda pulled him backwards, preventing him from tumbling off the cliff.

Link cursed inwardly. Just as they turned around in an attempt to run a different direction, they found that they were completely surrounded by dozens of heavily armed enemy soldiers.

Sword drawn and shield raised, Link immediately put himself between the princess and the surrounding horde. For a moment, there was a standoff. He knew they wouldn't hesitate to kill both of them, so why were they hesitating now?

Link and Zelda were cornered against the cliff. Fear raced through their veins and all was silent for what seemed like an eternity. The night was now lit with torches that stood bright and made their eyes burn. At least a hundred, maybe more, eyes were locked on them. There was no way out.

Link heard men whispering out of view, but he couldn't hear much of what they were discussing. All he could make out was " _Kill the boy. Take her alive_."

Everything happened so quickly, but Link felt as if everything was moving in slow motion.

A single arrow flew and lodged itself in his right shoulder, just beneath his collarbone. The pain was sharp and quick, but _gods_ , did it hurt. The impact of the arrow sent him stumbling backwards, knocking Zelda over the cliff in the process. She had nothing to hold onto except Link, resulting in her dragging him over the cliff with her.

Zelda's horrified screams drowned everything else out as the both of them plummeted into the ravine below.

* * *

 _ **Author's Notes**_

Yes. Hello. Sorry for being absent for a while. Being home for the summer has not given me as much time for writing as I expected. Being a nurse for three people is difficult.

But look! Things are finally starting to pick up in the story. You have finally met our princess Zelda. There's a lot you still don't know yet, though. ;) 


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